


Hate to Love Her

by JosieMarieVivianWilkins



Series: The Secret Love of Pets [1]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cat, Cute, Domestic, F/F, Future Fic, M/M, Oneshot, Pet, Season 11, where Mickey tries to be a hardass but is softer than a baby's butt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:41:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23830015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JosieMarieVivianWilkins/pseuds/JosieMarieVivianWilkins
Summary: Wherein Ian brings home a cat and Mickey tries to hate it but it just won't let him.
Relationships: Debbie Gallagher & Sandy Milkovich, Debbie Gallagher/Sandy Milkovich, Ian Gallagher & Mickey Milkovich, Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich
Series: The Secret Love of Pets [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1718302
Comments: 14
Kudos: 102





	Hate to Love Her

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mistjif68](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistjif68/gifts).



> Gallavich getting a pet in season eleven came up in one of the group chats and this came from that.  
> I mean, I really like it. 
> 
> Gifted to one of my faves for her cute prépère/kitty story!
> 
> As a writer, hits, comments, etc. are crazy motivating, and the exclusion of non-logged-in user hit counts is noticeable. I can guarantee I'm not the only writer on here noticing the drop and feeling the little slump that it gives you. So I would 100% encourage any of the non-users reading to request an account invitation and encourage any other non-users to do the same. And to obviously log in if you do have an account. And regardless, anyone reading is appreciated and I hope that you are all keeping safe :)
> 
> Anyways, enjoy and let me know what you thought or send me a prompt or smth on Tumblr - thebestpartofthecarrotcostume.

_“There’s plenty of strays wandering around the neighbourhood – I’m sure we can pick one up for cheap!”_

He had been joking as they had gotten ready on the morning of their wedding, feeling a little unsure of what he truly saw for their future when it came to children. And clearly, Ian had picked up on that, because he had interpreted the words a little more… literally.

It was how Mickey found himself sat on the couch beside his husband, staring back at Sandy and Debbie’s gushing faces plastered across their TV through Skype.

“We got a cat!” Ian had yelled as soon as the couple answered their videocall.

Before Mickey could correct the younger man, his cousin was chiming in with her typical “Domestic bitches,” grinning at the pair of them as her girlfriend knocked her shoulder playfully.

“No! _We_ didn’t get a cat, _Ian_ got a fucking cat! I wanted a dog, not an oversized rat.” The dark-haired man began, side-eyeing the smirking man who had him wrapped around his little finger. “Like, it’s not even a fucking cool cat or some shit – no. Instead, this guy comes home with some ugly, mangy, balding fucking runt that thinks it’s okay to lick my Pop-Tarts after it licks its ass!”

At this point, Ian saw fit to chime in, “You kiss me after you lick my ass,” earning a mixture of laughter and ‘eww’s from the girls.

“You are on strike two, Gallagher – I said this marriage shit was a three-strike thing!” Mickey playfully retorted, his lips pulling in to a smile as he felt a familiar tickle on the back of his neck, accompanied by a loud, high-pitched meow.

“So, yeah, _we_ got a cat.” The ginger man concluded, grinning as he watched his lover fuss over the scrawny cat, scratching behind her ear.

“Oh my God, it is _too_ cute! What’s it called?” Debbie gushed making kissing noises to try and draw their cat’s attention.

“I let Mickey name her,” he began, trying not to laugh; “I told him to give it some thought, not just call her something shitty. Gave him a couple days to think on it before I asked and basically…”

_“So, what do you think she looks like? Maybe a Luna or Milly?” Ian probed as he walked in to their bedroom, dropping his boxers to the floor and stopping beside the bed to stare at his side of the bed, mouth agape._

_“Fuck no!” The brunet scoffed as he scratched under the cat’s chin, pulling a low humming purr from where she lay on_ his _pillow. “Nah, I’ve decided, and I think you’re gonna’ love it”_

_A brow quirked in curiosity, Ian murmured “Go on,” as he attempted to get in to bed without disturbing their cat, being met with a warning from his husband’s eyebrows._

_“Well, this little bitch fucking takes our shit and hides it, literally sticks her nose in where it ain’t needed, is_ way _too loud_ all _the time, and is obviously a fucking pillow princess.” His eyes were not drawn from the cat as he began the story of her name. “So, meet the new and improved Mandy Milkovich.”_

_Ian had laughed so hard that his movements had jolted the black cat enough for her to stand up and leap down to the foot of the bed, once again earning himself a set of dark, high brows and wide eyes._

And as the couple on their TV laughed about the story of Mandy 2.0’s name, Ian leaned across to stroke the cat that had now slinked her way in to his husband’s lap, settling down for a quiet nap. Displays like this were a regular favourite of Ian’s, loving how much affection his husband and pet shared. It had taken less than a day for the pair to bond, albeit somewhat begrudgingly on one side.

_As Ian washed the last of the dishes from the spaghetti and meatballs Mickey had prepared from them earlier that evening – before he had brought a patchy rat in to their home – the latter sat on the couch, flicking through Netflix categories for a new series for them to binge. This was soon interrupted as the bald-spotted cat walked in front of the TV cabinet, her sleek, thin tail brushing in front of the power button of the Xbox, causing a familiar ‘ba-bum’ to air itself._

_“’Ey, fucking bitch!” Mickey grunted, pressing the power button on the controller to restart the console, scowling at the cat._

_“Mickey, be nice to my cat – she’s in a new environment, she’s_ adjusting _!”_

 _“_ Ian _, your stupid fucking cat just turned off the Xbox. You know, the one that you said would be awesome to have because it has a motion sensor power button?! Yeah, well, the cat’s fucking tail counts as motion!” He groused, staring through the doorway at the back of his husband’s body, only slightly allowing himself to admire the perfect backside. His perving was interrupted by a tickling on the back of his neck, causing him to flinch reflexively. “What the-” The petite cat sauntered along the back of the couch, her tail tickling his neck and ear (much like the tacky feather boa Ian had used at The Fairy Tale). “Fuck off, rat!” He hissed, actively angling himself away from where the car sniffed curiously at his shoulder._

_“Mickey, be fucking nice to my baby or you’ll be sucking your own dick!”_

_Unable to answer due to having the cat stepping on his shoulder and descending his chest to sit on his lap unannounced, earning a look of disgust and a frustrated exhale, Mickey attempted to shake the animal off, jerking his leg experimentally. When the cat looked at him nonplussed and began to knead its paws in to his thigh, Mickey snarled “Fuck off me,” as he shook his leg a little harder this time._

_Still no movement._

_Instead, the cat kneaded once more, twice more, and then a third time, before turning circles across his lap and beginning to settle itself down. During this claiming of Mickey’s lap, the owner had begun yelling out to his husband, “Ian! Get in here and control your fucking child,” as the cat began to purr like the engine of a Harley, vibrating on his lap. “Come quick, I think it’s gonna’ explode!”_

_Not moving to ‘help’ his husband, Ian had stood in the doorway of the kitchen after finishing the dishes, his arms crossed against his chest as he watched the cat’s display of affection, smirking at the scene before him._

_“No, she’s purring, it means she_ likes _you.” The tall man chuckled, moving to sit beside the shorter of the pair._

 _“Well,_ I _don’t like_ it _!” Mickey grumbled in response, his brows furrowed in frustration before he chanced a glance at his husband, offering a mixture of a pout and a whimper in an attempt to persuade the younger man to remove the vibrating creature._

 _The conversation had ended there, Ian taking the controller to put a show on for them as he ignored his partner’s grumbles and facial expressions, deciding that he could like it and lump it and hopefully grow to love the stray that he had found hiding in the back of the ambulance bay at work that day. And his plan seemed to work. Maybe twenty minutes in to the first episode of_ Shooter _, Mickey chanced a stroke of the cat, petting it cautiously. And then by the second episode, he had gotten more confident in how to handle the animal, scratching behind her ears, pulling a warm purr from her._

_And that was how Mickey began to hate to love their cat._

“Yeah, we got a fucking cat,” Mickey sighed, rolling his eyes in Ian’s direction. “And when we can afford a place with a yard, I’ll be taking that trip to the shelter to choose a dog, like we discussed.” He turned his attention back towards his newest housemate, ignoring the teasing and laughter that his admission had earned from Ian, Sandy, and Debbie to focus on petting his contented cat.


End file.
